Hamlet is leaning over his mother, the queen, berating her. He is relentless, cruel. She cowers. "Speak no more," she begs. He persists. The tension's high. His anger becomes more palpable. "No more," she cries. Suddenly, a figure rises like smoke from the foot of the bed they are on. Cloaked in white from head to toe, it writhes and twists. It grows taller and taller. It continues to writhe and twist and grow. Now it's struggling. You can hear frustrated mumblings from the apparition. This ghost of Hamlet's father can't find the opening where his head should pop out. "We seem to have a little Charlie Brown ghost here," says director Brent Gibbs, stopping the rehearsal of Arizona Repertory Theatre's production of Shakespeare's "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." "Comedy, drama, comedy, drama," he mutters as the cast laughs at the dilemma and he steps to the stage to try to help the ghost figure out the problem before next week's opening. "It's the costume," Gibbs explains to the actor. "Don't feel it's all your fault." "Hamlet" is a bloody tragedy, but Gibbs makes the rehearsal a fun, nurturing experience for the University of Arizona students. Directing a classic like this, he said in an interview, is almost easy. "You sit in a rehearsal hall and hear, 'To be or not to be. . . ,' " he said. "Directing is easier because it's such great writing." Great writing deserves great productions, and Gibbs is intent on providing that. The set is monochromatic, with sliding angled walls covered in off-white muslin and a stage floor blanketed in white. "We've created our own world," said Gibbs, explaining the stark set and the Albert Tucci-designed costumes. "Al pulled from a variety of Bedouin societies. We've created a world that's so old it almost looks futuristic. But there's a unity to it that forms a very strict theme." The costumes and set, he hopes, reflect "a very structured and rigid society that Hamlet can struggle against." But he isn't getting stylistic here for the sake of being different. "It's about making 'Hamlet' understandable to a modern audience," he said. "It's always got to illuminate the text." "Hamlet" is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. Hamlet's father, the king, has died, and the king's brother, Claudius, has taken over the throne. Claudius has also taken over the king's bed, marrying Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, just a few months after the death of the king. This is just not done. "To us, your mother marrying your father's brother doesn't count as incest," said Gibbs. "But in this world, that's a huge, huge social infraction, and therefore one that must be dealt with." The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to Hamlet and tells him Claudius murdered him. Hamlet, he says, must seek revenge. Hamlet feigns madness in order to do just that. Murder, mayhem, more murder, more mayhem follow. What makes "Hamlet" so powerful is that the play is complex and rich. Hamlet is a thoughtful, philosophical kind of guy. He's concerned about the consequences of his actions. And it's a play that has resonance today, said Gibbs. "It's about a son who's seeking revenge for his father," he explained. "This play deals with vengeance and the cost of vengeance. It's ironic and interesting to note that's what's going on in the world right now."